Infielder Josh Barfield is out of the running for a spot on the Phillies bench, leaving Delwyn Young, Michael Martinez, Pete Orr and Luis Castillo fighting for a pair of openings.
Beerleaguer: Assuming John Mayberry Jr. makes the team, as most expect, the club must then decide how best to utilize their roster space while keeping an eye on Placido Polanco's sore elbow. Barfield's numbers have faded since early in camp and he was unimpressive yesterday. Unless you attend IronPigs games, you'll never hear from him again. Pete Orr, it seems, has separated himself from Barfield and is still in the running, but Orr is essentially a Triple-A lifer, too. Quite honestly, the Phils may have already concluded that this entire group is insufficient and may seek last-minute help from the outside the way they did with Castillo, who is still no lock. The club has reportedly been seeking a veteran outfielder who can play center field. Gabe Gross, a veteran former first-round pick of the Blue Jays, who was released by the Mariners yesterday after declining a minor league assignment, could intrigue them since he plays the entire outfield and has ties to the Jays and Mariners, frankly. However, Gross would be a marginal upgrade over the current field, at best, and is primarily a corner outfielder.
As for the catchers, Tuffy Gosewisch represents organizational depth, but his stock seems to be rising slightly among the staff and following a strong second half in Double-A. Dane Sardinha will likely split time with Erik Kratz, who is still in camp, I believe.
Pete Orr or Michael Martinez? I'll have lasagne.
Posted by: bay_area_phan | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 12:14 PM
Might as well give Michael Martinez the chance. He's the only one who hasn't yet proven that he's a AAAA lifer ;-)
Posted by: CJ | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 12:20 PM
If anything, he too intense & hardwired on the field.
You think? Again- that's a negative. That's not hard-nosed play. Victorino is similar to that in some respects where he lets his emotions get the better of him. He's drawn the ire of a few teams by what they perceive as him grandstanding. Vic had that one incident with the umpire but Morgan has a ton of incidents.
Posted by: The Truth Injection | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 12:28 PM
bap, I'll have the tortollini.
Posted by: awh | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 12:29 PM
CJ: Since it's looking increasingly likely that Martinez could be the guy, I've searched his minor league numbers for some sign -- ANY sign -- that he might possess at least one attribute that could benefit our offense. My search turned up empty. Plus, he's only 5'9".
Posted by: bay_area_phan | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 12:29 PM
bap: But... Hanley Ramirez never hit more than 8 HR in a minor league season. Just think how Mini Mart may blossom!
Posted by: CJ | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 12:39 PM
It will be Mini Mart...and he'll be about as good as Bruntlett was in 08/09 (.550 OPS in 356 PA) and probably slightly than Taguchi was in 08 (.580 OPS in 103 PA) when it comes to offense.
My point is basically that we've carried players of similar offensive caliber before.
Given that he's a Rule 5 guy and his only remaining competition is Pete Orr and a quickly fading terrible defender in D. Young? Yeah, he'll make it.
Posted by: NEPP | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 12:40 PM
Would anyone be surprised if Pedro Feliz finds his way back here? He can't hit at all anymore, but at least he can play the field well, especially with Polanco in doubt.
Posted by: DH Phils | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 12:43 PM
Actually, Feliz was terrible in the field last year. His defense is nothing but a past reputation now. He has zero range.
Posted by: NEPP | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 12:44 PM
At the end of the day, if Castillo makes it and Polanco is healthy, the big need is a pinch hitter. Young is the best candidate of the group.
Posted by: J. Weitzel | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 12:44 PM
DH: Luis Castillo & Pedro Feliz in the same lineup? That would put CJ's blind optimism to the ultimate test.
Posted by: bay_area_phan | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 12:45 PM
That's a good point, JW. Of course, if Polly is playing through an injury as it seems he will be doing, they'll probably waste the spot on another utility type guy.
Posted by: NEPP | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 12:47 PM
bap: "Luis Castillo & Pedro Feliz in the same lineup? That would put CJ's blind optimism to the ultimate test."
Yeah... that's an understatement...
Posted by: CJ | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 12:48 PM
jw: Completely agree with you. Plus, he CAN play 2nd & 3rd in a pinch. He may play them badly, but the same was true of Greg Dobbs and he managed to hold down the backup 3rd base job for several years.
Posted by: bay_area_phan | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 12:48 PM
Heather asks: "Correct me if I'm wrong, but Gonzalez is assured of a starting job, whereas I thought Drabek might be sent to AAA. Is that incorrect?"
Virtually every preview of the 2011 Blue Jays (see Fangraphs, Baseball Prospectus) that I can find has Drabek penciled in as the 5th starter. And while Drabek could well have pitched himself off of the roster, he remains the Jays' pre-eminent prospect -- and a very good bet to see MLB action in 2011. If this, or say the 2010 version of Jason Heyward (in circumstances similar to those of the 2011 version of Drabek), meets Heather's definition of "fringe" major leaguer, then we're operating with different vocabularies.
Posted by: Klaus | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 12:50 PM
I think Dobbs was a better hitter than D. Young is right now.
Dobbs posted a .798 OPS in 598 PA in 2007-2008. That was good for a 102 OPS+.
Posted by: NEPP | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 12:51 PM
For the last two seasons, D. Young posted a .705 OPS in 595 PAs...good for a 88 OPS+.
Posted by: NEPP | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 12:52 PM
Kendrick and some dudes to the White Sox for Viciedo. He's brutal in the field (long term he'll get moved from 3B/1B into LF) but is an extremely young RH power bat.
I only say that because of our new allegience with the White Sox. Maybe Amaro can remind them of the steal they got from us in the Garcia debacle.
Posted by: Andy | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 12:55 PM
Frankly, I wonder if Harold Garcia would be a better bet than Castillo, too. (But that's the BL irrational uber-belief in minor leaguers.) I do know that every time Castillo begins stinking, there will be a ton of posts asking for Garcia and/or Cesar.
Posted by: Andy | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 12:57 PM
They made up for that by giving us Tad Iguchi for free after Chase went down in 07...think we're past that.
Posted by: NEPP | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 12:57 PM
From the end of the last thread: apparently derekcarstairs is right about Kendrick's contract and I was wrong; David Murphy wrote last month:
Kendrick enters spring training with the security of a $2.45 million contract he signed after filing for arbitration. Although the contract is not guaranteed until the start of the season - the Phillies would owe him 30 days' termination pay (about $427,000) if they release him before March 15, 45 days' pay if they released him after.
So the Phils could save some money by releasing him (as dc suggests)
Posted by: Fan From Fifties | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 01:00 PM
KK is worth $2.45 million as an insurance policy for our rotation. Considering that both Oswalt and Lee have had prior back issues and that 3 of the big 4 are on the wrong side of 30, its only prudent to keep KK around.
Posted by: NEPP | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 01:03 PM
JW, for what its worth, Murphy agrees with you on keeping D. Young based on his pinch-hitting ability.
I'd rather see D. Young than Mini-Mart too FWIW.
Posted by: NEPP | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 01:09 PM
TTI~ Not trying to put myself on a pedistal.
Heather~ Thanks.
Posted by: DPatrone | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 01:19 PM
After a Howard groundout we have back to back singles from Vic and Ben Fran
Posted by: The Truth Injection | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 01:22 PM
Walk to Exxon and the Phillies have them loaded for Halladay
Posted by: The Truth Injection | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 01:26 PM
2 run single by Halladay up the middle and some good baserunning by Valdez has him go to third on the throw home.
Posted by: The Truth Injection | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 01:27 PM
Halladay does it all! 2-run 2-out single
Posted by: krukker | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 01:27 PM
Halladay's going to pick up the slack in the O on the days he pitches. 2d season in the league - he'll be striving to be a pinch hitting candidate.
Posted by: Hugh Mulcahy | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 01:27 PM
Halladay has been surprisingly good as a hitter.
Posted by: NEPP | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 01:28 PM
The pitchers may say they don't feel like it's a "competition" when they're on the mound (and I believe them), but I'm fairly certain there will be a competition at the plate. My money is on the sweet swing of Cole Hamels.
Posted by: CJ | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 01:35 PM
Lidge having an MRI Tuesday?
Posted by: awh | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 01:36 PM
RAUUULLLLLLLLLL
Posted by: The Truth Injection | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 01:38 PM
awh: That's correct. Beat reporters say they'll look for structural damage.
Posted by: CJ | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 01:39 PM
That's 4 spring HR for Raul. Good sign.
Posted by: CJ | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 01:40 PM
I didn't realize that MMart had played as many games up the middle and in the outfield as he has. I thought he was more of an outfield type guy.
Posted by: The Truth Injection | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 01:42 PM
Given the discussion yesterday about what would happen if Polanco was out for the year, did anyone notice he's playing today? Seems like it's worth mentioning.
Posted by: DH Phils | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 01:43 PM
Didn't see this mentioned here:
"Halladay presents Ruiz with replica of Cy Young prize"
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/20110326_Halladay_presents_Ruiz_with_replica_of_Cy_Young_prize.html
All class.
Posted by: awh | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 01:44 PM
DH Phils: He's playing with just one arm. They removed the other one. The doc said, "Losing his arm was age-related." They're playing him today to see if he's going to be okay with just one arm.
Posted by: CJ | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 01:46 PM
Sorry- "infield guy"
Posted by: The Truth Injection | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 01:51 PM
Thanks for the link, awh. Halladay certainly is a winner in every sense of the word.
Posted by: GBrettfan | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 01:54 PM
thanks awh. had to wipe my eyes a few times.
Posted by: bullit | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:02 PM
Doc's spring training line:
20.2 IP, 12 H, 6 BB, 1 ER, 13 K, 0.42 ERA, 0.871 WHIP
I get the sense he's ready.
Posted by: CJ | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:06 PM
CJ: Yeah Doc should be fine.
Posted by: The Truth Injection | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:10 PM
CJ- unfortunately Doc can't pitch every game! We have to roll out four other bums too.
Posted by: Iceman | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:13 PM
Schwimer with rough inning. Lost his composure after a HBP but got out of the bases loaded no out jam with only a sac fly.
Posted by: krukker | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:16 PM
Opposite field HR for Ryan Howard, his 5th of the spring.
Posted by: CJ | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:23 PM
Howard oppo HR.
Posted by: Jack | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:23 PM
Howard just hit a mammoth opposite field home run. Ibanez hit one 2 innings ago.
Good to see guys going the opposite direction.
Posted by: The Truth Injection | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:23 PM
Can you guys leave my buddy alone? I only pass on what I hear and since I am not on the East Coast it takes a few hours sometimes.
PS the Phils will get Young and cash later this afternoon. Dmitri Young that is.
Posted by: George Costas, Bob Costas's cousin | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:24 PM
looks like ~5 runs per game may not be out of the question.
Posted by: bullit | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:25 PM
Tuned into the game late. Announcers were talking about Mini-Mart and showing him in dugout. Was he sent back?
Posted by: J. Weitzel | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:25 PM
Benny Frank with an RBI double, knocks in Vic from first. 6-1 Phils.
Posted by: CJ | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:26 PM
TTI: Definitely good to see Howard going oppo. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I feel like his opposite field homers dropped significantly last year. That was a huge part of his game before that. If he can get back to taking balls out the opposite way, it would really be a good thing.
Posted by: Jack | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:26 PM
Mammoth? It barely cleared the LF wall...
Phillies lighting Braves pitching up though. Shame neither Kawakami or Martinez will be on the roster....
Posted by: Undocorkscrew | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:26 PM
Jason: Didn't hear that and there's nothing on that from the beat writers.
Posted by: CJ | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:27 PM
Jack: Agreed... maybe it's just an impression, but I didn't think there were many oppo boppos to start last season.
Posted by: CJ | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:28 PM
Benny has hit everything hard this spring.
Posted by: J. Weitzel | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:28 PM
When Benny becomes an All-Star this year, I'll remind everyone that Lee was the throw-in for that Carrasco, Donald, Knapp, Marson deal.
Posted by: CJ | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:29 PM
Francisco looks like he's showing some range in RF. Of course, that could just be an example of a play that looks tough for him, that a better RF would make look routine.
Posted by: Jack | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:34 PM
Nah, McLouth hit that liner pretty hard. Good play by Francisco
Posted by: Undocorkscrew | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:35 PM
I don't know why people even bother arguing anything with Jack. When he's wrong (which is often) he doesn't admit to being wrong. He just tries to twist what you said into some unrecognizable mass that makes him look right. It's not worth your time.
Posted by: The Truth Injection
TTI is right about Jack- he admitted early this week he is just baiting people. He doesn't actually believe most of the stuff he's saying. awh- I would suggest just not even bothering anymore.
Posted by: Iceman
Posted by: awh (pretending to be TTI and Iceman) | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:35 PM
Barely cleared the fence? You watching the game champ? Hitting the ball that hard and far to left is massive. I wouldn't have used that term had he hit the same style home run to right.
Jack: I think Howard moving closer to the plate will help him go the other way like that. When he first came up he did it a lot and he became a tough out. If he can start doing that this year- when he'll probably get shown a lot of slop- he could really do some damage even with other teams trying to avoid him.
Posted by: The Truth Injection | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:43 PM
Yes, it barely cleared the LF fence. Saw it live, then the replay. Then another replay as they were going to commercial. I think Ibanez's was hit further...
Hitting a HR the opposite way isn't an easy thing to do, I understand that. But there was nothing 'mammoth' about any HR that barely clears the LF or RF wall.
Posted by: Undocorkscrew | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:48 PM
A BJ Rosenberg appearance!
Posted by: awh (pretending to be TTI and Iceman) | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:48 PM
It wasn't a wall scraper. It had the wall by probably 50 feet.
Posted by: The Truth Injection | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:50 PM
I love when fans of other teams stop by to start petty arguments.
Posted by: DH Phils | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:52 PM
If it went waaaaay up in teh air I think the term "mammoth" can be safely used.
"mammoth" is, after all, in the eye of the beholder.
Posted by: awh | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:53 PM
Wow, my TV is completely playing tricks on me then. I seen the people running UP to the ball, which disappeared behind the fence. There's no way it cleared the wall by 50ft.
Not that it matters, it was a ST HR against a minor-leaguer. I feel odd arguing about it...
Posted by: Undocorkscrew | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:54 PM
Fans from other teams?
Posted by: Undocorkscrew | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:54 PM
Regular season female fans > preseason female fans (viewed during this telecast)
Posted by: rauls grandpa | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 02:57 PM
(Especially when the fans of other teams pretend not to be fans of other teams)
Posted by: DH Phils | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 03:01 PM
Guess away then, by all means.
Marlins? Braves? Mets?
How about a team that's not in the NL East? Giants? Reds, perhaps?
You're the psychic, my man.....
Posted by: Undocorkscrew | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 03:03 PM
Thought I recognized the name Undocorkscrew as a Braves fan who has posted before here and on The Fightins. Googled "undocorkscrew" and first link is to his SB Nation profile, which shows his 1300+ comments on Braves blog Talking Chop.
Being a Braves fan and pretending to be a Phillies fan and posting here is way more annoying than just being a Braves fan posting here.
Posted by: DH Phils | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 03:06 PM
Klaus: Apparently Drabek is fringe to both Heather and BedBeard.
I must be missing something.
Posted by: clout | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 03:07 PM
Point DH
Posted by: The Truth Injection | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 03:11 PM
Ahh, well done. What ever happened to The Fighten's anyway, loved that place....
However, that's not my profile. Common misconception, but I got the Undocorkscrew from a user at Talking Chop. I'd imagine that's him, but I got the ban hammer slammed on me last year.
"Being a Braves fan and pretending to be a Phillies fan and posting here is way more annoying than just being a Braves fan posting here."
I'd imagine so, but when was I pretending to be a Phillies fan? I'm not even sure I'm capable of that....
Posted by: Undocorkscrew | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 03:13 PM
Btw, what was your username at The Fighten's?
Posted by: Undocorkscrew | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 03:13 PM
He may have earned an internet point, but you're still wrong about a ST HR against a minor-leaguer. I felt it was my duty to point out that you were misleading at least 10 Phillies fans that weren't watching the game into believing that Howard hit a 'mammoth' shot, which he didn't. So, you're welcome.....
Lukas Moodyson's film 'Mammoth' was a disappointment too. I just hate that word all around....
Posted by: Undocorkscrew | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 03:16 PM
I think the point is to just be upfront about your allegiances.
You'll find that not all Philly fans fit the profile. Some of us around here are actually fairly willing to talk baseball rationally.
Posted by: The Truth Injection | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 03:16 PM
I await the WS fans.
Posted by: Meyer | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 03:17 PM
Undo: I said had the same home run been hit to right I wouldn't have used the term. It was opposite field and got over the wall by quite a bit. I would've agreed had you said Ibanez's went further. Didn't call his mammoth because around here we just type Raul's name.
Posted by: The Truth Injection | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 03:18 PM
Apparently Gio Gonzalez is fringe to Clout. I must be missing something.
Posted by: Bedrosian's Beard | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 03:18 PM
To undocorkscrew's credit, he at least kept the same screen name, unlike flipper, lorecore and some others here.
Posted by: clout | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 03:19 PM
Don't feed the trolls...
Posted by: CJ | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 03:19 PM
i was thinking about this after reading some of the discussions yesterday where people were changing arguments of people opposing them.
I think we need a Beerleaguer ombudsman. I vote for mvptommy to be allowed back in to the site, but only in that role. That way it's not someone pre-disposed to any one particular point of view.
Posted by: The Truth Injection | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 03:21 PM
Mayberry Jr. gets his spring average back over .300 with a single to center.
Posted by: CJ | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 03:22 PM
BedBeard: Yeah, I read that header to be simply about ex-Phillies. I didn't get the "fringe" thing at all. Hence my puzzlement at Gio not being mentioned.
But outside of a baseball know-nothing like you, how would Drabek be considered fringe?
Posted by: clout | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 03:28 PM
I think there are just two different definitions of "fringe". The way Bedrosian's Beard, Heather, and JW/Drew Silverman used it meant "fringe" in the same way Domonic Brown was on the fringe this year. Not a fringe prospect, but on the fringe of making the major league roster.
I would say pretty much any 5th starter can be characterized as "on the fringe" of making the roster.
Posted by: DH Phils | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 03:33 PM
Beerleaguer is in mid-season form.
Posted by: Scott | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 03:34 PM
TTI, "NO" on your suggestion for Ombudsman.
Posted by: awh | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 03:37 PM
DH Phils: Drabek is the Blue Jays top prospect (per BA) and, as Klaus notes, virtually every preview of the 2011 Blue Jays (see Fangraphs, Baseball Prospectus) had him in the rotation.
He is not just "any" 5th starter.
It was like one of those "which object doesn't fit with the others" questions on a standardized test. Which is why I completely missed the "fringe" part of the equation. I just thought it was an update of how ex-Phils are doing.
Posted by: clout | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 03:47 PM
awh: Hey I'm giving us an option. We can have an election
Posted by: The Truth Injection | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 03:51 PM
FWIW, Drabek is starting as the Jays' #2 starter, with Morrow on the DL.
He's in their rotation to stay.
Posted by: Jack | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 03:56 PM
The real question here, is Drabek mammothly fringe?
Posted by: lorecore | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 04:02 PM
For what it's worth, I was trying to figure out why the column mentioned certain ex-Phillies and not others. I proposed a possible explanation.
I did not claim that I think Drabek is some fringe prospect (along the lines of Andrew Carpenter.) Sheesh.
Posted by: Heather | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 04:08 PM
TTI, then I vote "NO"!!!
Posted by: awh | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 04:08 PM
"Beerleaguer is in mid-season form.
Posted by: Scott"
Yep, Scott, the natives are getting restless as the season is about to start!
Posted by: awh | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 04:09 PM
"Not a fringe prospect, but on the fringe of making the major league roster."
But that doesn't describe Drabek. The point is, I think its inarguable that to use a word like fringe in relation to Drabek is to radically misunderstand his value and current and future role in the Blue Jays baseball operations. That Gio Gonzalez is a good pitcher has nothing to do with it, however much BB might think so.
Posted by: Klaus | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 04:14 PM
Erik Kratz is still in camp -- or at least he was through today's game in which he pinch hit for a pitcher and then struck out twice. Although Kratz at best was signed to play in AAA this year, the fact that Kratz is still with the team after Sardinha and Gosewich were sent out is a bit interesting. Certainly Kratz impressed this Spring with his defense, including his throwing -- and his power --as he hit two bombs in his last 10 at bats or so. Could it be that Schneider is being made available to some contender such as the Dodgers -- who, because of recent St injuries, suddenly are in need of a veteran catcher right now?
On another catching subject, many here second-guessed the Phillies decision to get rid of Ronny Paulino in 2009 -- after the team had traded offseason with the Pirates to get him him -- and then more second-guessing occurred during the '09 regular season, when Paulino had solid stats with power as the Marlins' backup that year. Somehow I missed the fact that Paulino got a drug-based suspension last season, and still needs to serve the last eight games of it at the beginning of this season. Now, Paulino apparently has some "blood count" related problems. See, the link:
http://www.startribune.com/sports/118718969.html
Charlie never liked Paulino in the '09 Spring Training -- and it was speculated at the time that he had a bad atitude.
Finally -- for those who thought that Lou Marson was the Phillies' "catcher of the future" after he went two-for-four with a CBP home run in his first MLB game on the last day of the '08 season -- or at least that Marson would be a solid major leaguer -- it is apparent that Marson might not even make the Indians' open season roster this year --as Marson is hitting .143 this Spring with a .179 slugging percentage after struggling all last season. Marson has a .208 career BA and a .312 slugging percentage, despite having been given every chance to succeed with the Indians, who may now be out of patience with him -- despite Marson's surprisingly good defense at the major league level -- after being converted to the catching position with the Phillies. See, the link:
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110318&content_id=17010516&vkey=news_cle&fext=.jsp&c_id=cle
But despite his terrible hitting numbers, Marson is at no loss for confidence, saying about 10 days ago: "I think I'll catch a lot this year. I think I'm too good defensively not to be in the lineup. We'll see what happens."
Posted by: davthom73 | Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 04:29 PM